After discussing basic safety and equipment selection, Barry Gross explains choosing woods, sharpening tools, finishing and sanding techniques, and then gets right into the practice projects. Exercises show a beginner how to use various lathe tools, then the author starts off with spindle projects including back scratchers, shoe horns, pens and a pepper mill.
Faceplate projects start with a simple bowl, advance to a natural edge bowl, a birdhouse ornament and a lidded box, finishing up new turning skills with an eight-inch hollow form. Large clear photos make it easy to follow the author's guidance in positioning the tools as well as making the cuts. One interesting thing about Gross' book is that he is willing to admit and show several mistakes he made in a 'trouble shooting' section, and then explain how those mistakes were corrected or compensated for.
With each project building on skills learned in former projects, by the time a beginner completes the author's list, he or she would have quite a thorough understanding of turning tools, procedures and necessary fixes.